Vending machines are due a tech update, don’t you think? For decades now they haven’t changed much. You either see the product or get a list of options, insert the correct change, and get some food, beverage, DVD, toy, or gadget in return. You could argue they don’t need to do anything else, but we’re all geeks here and appreciate technology overhauls.

Intel, Okaya Electronics, and Sanden have decided vending machines need to be brought into the 21st century, and have come together to make buying your next drink a much more interactive and tech-rich experience.

Sanden is a major manufacturer of vending machines, and with the help of Intel and Okaya have replaced the typical glass-front of a machine with a vertically-mounted 65-inch touchscreen display. This is no ordinary display though, it’s also transparent.

By making it transparent it’s possible to see the products inside the machine, but text and graphics can also be overlaid. Just like any screen, it can playback video, pop up a clock, or show the latest adverts related to the products inside.

Interaction with the machine can get a little more personal too. A camera is used along with anonymous facial recognition to take a good guess at a person’s gender and age. The content on the display is then changed to match your expected tastes. For example, the machine may recommend a can of soda to a kid, or a can of beer to an adult.

Such a display allows a lot more information to be presented to the user at every stage of the purchase process. Just taking food as an example, before buying it could discern your age and gender suggesting an appropriate product. If a product is selected it could display ingredients, fat, and calorie content. Then, once purchased it could recommend complimentary food and drink you may want to consider as well before walking away. The same stages can be applied to gadget purchases or entertainment products such as movies or games.

At the moment Sanden’s machine is just a prototype, but we can’t see it staying that way for long. The combination of additional information and advertising should help to boost sales and overall revenue if they are placed in high traffic areas.